The lawsuit came after Segal reported in June that Hazan managed a casino in Borgas, Bulgaria, and would hire prostitutes and buy crystal meth for its Israeli patrons.
By LAHAV HARKOVUpdated: OCTOBER 13, 2015 02:34Oren Hazan(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
MK Oren Hazan (Likud) submitted a lawsuit for NIS 1 million against Channel 2 News reporter Amit Segal for libel Monday.The lawsuit came after Segal reported in June that Hazan managed a casino in Burgas, Bulgaria, and would hire prostitutes and buy crystal meth for its Israel patrons. Several locals in Burgas told Channel 2 that Hazan managed the casino, and a worker at a nearby strip club called him “Big Boss Oren.”Hazan’s attorneys wrote in the lawsuit that the report is untrue and the allegations are a “media assassination and personal persecution.”Among the damages claimed in the suit, in addition to sullying Hazan and his family’s name, is that Hazan, despite holding the title of deputy Knesset speaker, has not been given any shifts to run Knesset meetings, and that his girlfriend’s parents will not let him come to their home for Shabbat meals.The MK said in a press conference that he sued Segal even though there is currently a wave of terrorism, because he is facing “verbal terrorism” and a “tsunami of accusations.”Segal responded: “We stand behind the report and we’re happy the truth will be made clear in court.”Hazan is not suing Channel 10, which reported that he sexually harassed servers at a bar he managed in Tel Aviv, because he said Segal’s report was the source of his name being sullied. In addition, the MK said Segal has a personal vendetta against him.The lawmaker sought advice from Knesset Legal Adviser Eyal Yinon about the possibility of accepting donations to pay his legal fees, and submitted an inquiry to the Knesset Ethics Committee to that effect.In order to submit the lawsuit, he had to pay NIS 25,000, which he paid out of his own money.